Mugabe could be stripped of knighthood

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe could be stripped of his knighthood, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has indicated.

Tony Blair said he would look at withdrawing the honorary title in the face of international condemnation of Mr Mugabe's human rights record.

But Mr Blair, a key opponent of Zimbabwe's bid to have its suspension from the Commonwealth lifted, said he was not sure what the move would achieve.

He told MPs: "We will certainly look at the issue of the honorary knighthood, although I somehow question what the impact of that might be on him."

The Prime Minister said the continuing suspension of Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth was a victory for the body's values.

In a statement on the weekend's Commonwealth summit in Nigeria, Mr Blair said Zimbabwe, under Mr Mugabe's regime, had "gone backwards" since its suspension last year.

Mr Mugabe's subsequent decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth showed clearly that he did not accept Commonwealth principles.

To cheers from MPs, Mr Blair pledged: "There will always be a place for a democratic Zimbabwe in the Commonwealth."

Tory leader Michael Howard welcomed the Government's "strong stand" on the issue but complained that Mr Blair had been initially "behind the game" over Zimbabwe.

Mr Mugabe was given the honorary knighthood in 1994. But the Government has faced repeated calls to strip it from him.

Last month junior Foreign Office minister Chris Mullin said the removal of the title was "not an immediate priority".

But he said the Government may re-visit the issue.

The matter has also been raised in the House of Lords with Liberal Democrat peer Lord Watson saying many people in Britain would be "deeply shocked and offended" that Mr Mugabe bore a knighthood.

Zimbabwe this week pulled out of the Commonwealth after a heads of government meeting in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, agreed to extend its suspension indefinitely.

Mr Blair had told Commonwealth leaders there was "no possible justification" for lifting Zimbabwe's suspension, imposed last year after the widely-criticised elections which returned Mr Mugabe to power.